Maned wolves

The Louisville Zoo is thrilled to announce the birth of two maned wolf pups. The two females were born February 14 to Sadie and Rocko, both five years old. Each weighed about 7 pounds at the time of their neonatal examinations.

Maned wolf gestation is similar to a domestic dog which is about two months. Sadie has nursed the pups since they were born and they should be weaned at around 4 months of age. Both parents will also regurgitate food to the pups to assist with the transition from milk to solid foods.

The Louisville Zoo is continually seeking the very best methods in nutrition, veterinary care, and animal husbandry and consistently monitors the health of the animals. Prior to the fall/winter breeding season, zoo keepers and veterinary staff developed a plan to optimize the health of both adult wolves. Sadie was underweight, had a poor appetite, and suboptimal stool quality. Following a thorough medical evaluation and treatment plan, a diet change was pursued to improve food intake, body condition, and stool quality. This diet change was achieved with collaboration with the Maned Wolf Species Survival Plan (SSP) nutritionist Dr. Cheryl Morris and Rudy Green’s Doggy CuisineTM creator and President Karla Haas. Special custom-made whole food recipes were developed by these renowned professionals in the field using human grade meats and vegetables. The Rudy Green brand has been producing human grade, gently cooked food for dogs since 2006 and is sold in Kroger pet aisle freezers and online via amazon.

The Louisville Zoo contacted Ms. Haas and together they began experimenting with a custom formulated diet in September 2016. Both wolves were gradually transitioned onto it after initial testing of several recipes. The new diet, in conjunction with recommended nutritional supplements by Dr. Morris, resulted in improvements in overall health. The Louisville Zoo is proud that this team approach has resulted in the birth of two maned wolf pups, the first for the Louisville Zoo in 10 years.

The Rudy Green’s Maned Wolf Diet is nick-named “Sadie’s Stew”and interest in alternative and more healthful diets for the maned wolves is spreading among zoos nationally.

ABOUT MANED WOLVES

The maned wolf is native to South America and can be found throughout Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia, Peru and Uruguay. Maned wolves are solitary. The maned wolf is an omnivore. Half of their diet is fruit supplemented with small mammals, birds and reptiles, insects, nuts, eggs and grass. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists the maned wolf as threatened.

Louisville, KY – A company known as a pioneer in the Human Grade Pet Food movement has expanded their offerings to include food for other animals as well. Rudy Green, Inc., manufacturer of Rudy Green’s Doggy Cuisine™, is now producing a special diet designed to restore health and vitality to maned wolves living in zoos across the country.

About Maned Wolves

Maned wolves are a species native to the grasslands and scrub forests of central South America, and are listed as endangered by the Brazilian government and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. There are now just 72 maned wolves living in 26 zoos throughout the country.

Sadie and Rocko’s Story

The Louisville Zoo is continually seeking the very best methods in nutrition and animal care. That’s why when a concern arose over the health of a pair of young maned wolves at the Zoo, forward-thinking staff and leaders moved to a customized whole-food based, gently cooked diet by Rudy Green’s, which not only seemed to appeal to Sadie and Rocko, it addressed their nutritional needs as well. The Louisville Zoo began using the special diet in September 2016.

According to Rudy Green creator and President Karla Haas, the recipes were developed in collaboration with zoo personnel and renowned animal nutrition professor Dr. Cheryl Morris, utilizing simple, human-grade meats and vegetables. “We had to consider every aspect of their physical condition as well as finding ingredients that matched what they consumed in the wild, blended together in a meal they would like” Haas adds.

Immediate Success

The new diet in conjunction with recommended supplementation by Dr. Morris seemed to improve the health of Sadie and Rocko. Zoo keepers noticed consistent stool quality, improved coat quality, weight gain and consistent maintenance of weight— all measureable indicators of good health.

About Rudy Green’s

In 2006 a business was created out of a passion for animals and success with gently cooked human grade food prepared for the founder’s sick old dog, Rudy Green, for which the company is named. “It’s nonsense to believe that we should be feeding any animal a highly processed, nutritionally deplete, dry nugget that doesn’t resemble, nor contain, real food as the mainstay of their diet” said Ms. Haas. Pet lovers can find Rudy Green’s Doggy Cuisine™ for their own four legged kids in Kroger stores pet aisle freezers and online through amazon. For more info see www.rudygreens.com.